ppp 11-27-06

Quote of the day: Never teach a pig to sing.

You will not be successful and it will annoy the pig. Anon.

When I was teaching at the University of Minnesota many years ago I had a drug sales person ask to meet with him over a particular problem he was having getting his drug on the formulary. He was not concerned about the institution that I was affiliated with but one in New York. He professed to having the best comparative data against similar products and the absolute best price on the planet. The pharmacy personnel were always polite and took his information but he could never get them to present his data to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committee for action. It was always tabled. The hospital was a very prestigious one and letting everyone know that "they" were using his drug would sway many smaller hospitals into using it as well. It was driving him crazy and he just wanted to bounce his ideas off of someone else. "What product are you trying to introduce?" was my first question to which he answered "Heparin". "What institution?" was my second question (figuring I may know someone there). "Mt Sinai Hospital" was his answer which instantly told me everything I needed to know. I now wanted to lead him to my revelation….. "And what is the biologic source of your heparin?" He informed me that his was the finest porcine heparin. It was then that he saw the light…. he was trying to sell heparin from pigs to a Jewish hospital. At that moment he realized that it was not his sales presentation or the product that was the problem but his selection of his target market. While I never earned a nickel for easing his mind and refocusing his efforts I did obtain a great story and additional insight into marketing: to know your market you must not only answer the "WHY" but also know about the "WHY NOT".

pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience.

Generic injectable Zofran(ondansetron) is now shipping after FDA approval. This should reduce the costs of nausea and vomiting considerably although GlaxoSmithKline is sick about it.

One more in a series of "The drugs made me do it" defense approaches. Lawyer said the drug increases the manifestation of arrogant and uncontrolled behavior. The cheapest approach to Sarbane-Oxley compliance would be to put all members of your board of directors on Paxil. I'll make this my clarion call to pharmacists across the country, "Don't dispense any more Paxil to members of Congress, judges, or especially lawyers!"

The British NICE (National Institute for health and Clinical Experience) guidelines for use of drug in dementia was released on 11/22/06. The Institute recommends that donepezil, galantamine and rivastigmine should only be prescribed for people with moderate Alzheimer's disease when managing these symptoms. Patients with the mild forms should not receive medication and thus the government will not pay for these medications. As you can imagine, pharmaceutical companies want NICE thrown out. The British as wading into evidence based medicine only to find out that it can be hot water.

The big three PBMs took a hit (stock price) after the news was released. While generic pravacol won't treat all hyperlipidemias it should work for most people at a fraction of the cost of Lipitor, Crestor, etc.

With the changing face of Congress, many are hoping to pass previously blocked legislation. As you know, I think that this is a bad idea. If Congress wants to be honest then they would enact direct PRICE CONTROLS on pharmaceuticals. (This is even a worse idea but at least they would be honest about what they want to accomplish.)

Psychedelic "magic" mushrooms (psilocybin) are being investigated as a migraine cure; among other applications. Side effects, surprisingly, are a problems.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-sci-mushroom19nov19,1,5519248,full.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

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